Leaving the pile of biker trash behind, Maluck hopped into his car and drove back to the hotel, feeling pretty damn satisfied with himself.
The night had been productive.
He had more cash, no Bad Luck points, and a well-earned appetite.
But the second he stepped into the hotel room, he was immediately met with an extremely anxious Chloe.
Arms crossed. Brow furrowed. Eyes full of suspicion.
The moment she saw him, she blurted out,
“Where the hell have you been all day?!”
Then, without even waiting for an answer, she took a step back, scanned him head to toe, and added,
“And why do you look like a Good Buy employee who just got done murdering someone?”
Maluck glanced down at himself.
Yep. Still in khakis and a polo. Still splattered in dried blood.
He looked back up at her, cleared his throat, and said,
“Uh… well, that’s a long story. And I’m starving as hell, so how about I explain after we order room service?”
Chloe stared at him for a second, then sighed heavily.
She was still mad—but she was also hungry.
And honestly? The stress of not knowing where Maluck had been all day had already really killed her appetite.
Now that he was back in one piece, it was finally time to eat.
Maluck grabbed the room service menu and ordered like a man who had just beaten an entire gang of bikers with a chain and a bad attitude.
A double “King Burger” for himself, extra cheese, extra bacon.
A side of chili cheese fries, double loaded.
A strawberry milkshake, because he deserved it.
Chloe, by contrast, ordered a normal human portion.
A single burger.
Onion rings.
A very judgmental stare.
Maluck couldn’t help but grin. She may not have gone overboard with the food, but the stare? That one was a masterclass in judgment. He was impressed.
As Maluck placed the order, Chloe squinted at him.
“Seriously. What the hell happened to you today?”
He sat down on the bed, grinning.
“Okay, so picture this—”
BANG BANG BANG.
Before he could even start, there was a knock at the door.
“Room service?” Chloe asked, confused.
Maluck frowned. “That was way too fast.”
They exchanged a glance.
Then, Maluck cracked his knuckles and sighed.
“Alright. New plan. I’ll tell you over dinner, but first, let’s see who else wants to ruin my night.”
Because at this point?
He was pretty sure trouble had his room number on speed dial.
***
Maluck and Chloe stared at the door.
The knocking had been way too fast for room service.
Chloe frowned. “Uh… you sure you didn’t order a side of trouble with your burger?”
Maluck sighed, rolling his shoulders. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
BANG BANG BANG.
The knocking came again, harder this time.
Maluck glanced at Chloe. “Stay back.”
She crossed her arms. “Oh sure, yeah, let me just cower in fear while you handle it, Big Man.”
Maluck grinned. “Appreciate the support.”
He approached the door, but instead of just opening it like an idiot, he leaned in and asked,
“Who is it?”
There was a long pause.
Then, a deep, gruff voice said, “Your pizza delivery.”
Maluck blinked. “…I didn’t order a pizza.”
Another pause.
“.. errr yeah you did a Checkers pizza, and it’s been over 30 minutes, so it’s free.”
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Chloe scoffed. “Oh, well, in that case, let’s definitely open the door for sketchy surprise pizza.”
Maluck smirked. “Yeah, see, now I know exactly who this is.”
He swung the door open.
And standing outside?
Three big, burly guys in leather jackets, looking extremely annoyed.
One of them was holding his nose, which was definitely broken.
Another was limping.
The last one? A new one, a stranger. And, he was holding a plastic bag from a liquor store.
Maluck leaned against the doorframe.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? Three very sad-looking dudes, and one of them actually brought drinks. How polite.”
The guy in the middle—Broken Nose Guy—gritted his teeth. “We neeb to tulk.”
Maluck raised an eyebrow. “Talk, huh? See, I feel like if I step into that hallway, we’re gonna do a lot less talking and a lot more bleeding.”
The limping guy groaned. “Look, we’re not here to fight.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Maluck crossed his arms. “So what do you want?”
The guy with the liquor store bag held it up. “Peace offering?”
Maluck tilted his head. “Booze?”
“Good booze,” the guy said. “And an apology.”
Chloe peeked over Maluck’s shoulder. “Wow. Did you actually beat the common sense into someone?”
Maluck smirked. “Looks like it.”
Then he eyed the bottle.
“…Is that rum?”
The guy nodded. “Top shelf.”
Maluck considered this.
Then, with a sigh, he stepped aside. “Fine. But if you guys mess up my King Burger experience, I swear to god, I’ll finish what I started.”
And with that, the three bruised and battered bikers entered the room.
Because, honestly?
Maluck was interested in what these guys had to say, and they had even brought apology booze.
***
Maluck closed the door behind them, eyeing the three bikers like they might try something stupid at any moment.
Chloe, on the other hand, flopped onto the hotel bed, crossing her legs as if this were a live show, and she was waiting for the drama to start.
“So,” she said, “who the hell are these guys, and why do two of them look like they got dragged behind a truck?”
The guy with the broken nose grumbled, “Because we mide as well huv been.”
Maluck just grinned, dropping onto the couch. “Chloe, meet what’s left of the Biker Brigade of Bad Decisions—the dumbasses who tried to jump me earlier.”
Chloe’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait. These guys? This is why you’re covered in blood?”
Maluck gestured at them. “Well, to be fair, most of the blood is theirs.”
The guy holding the liquor bottle—who Maluck now mentally labeled Liquor Guy—cleared his throat.
“Yeah, so, about that… we might’ve miscalculated a bit.”
Chloe snorted.
“Oh? You think?” Maluck leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “Alright, let’s hear it. What made you guys think it was a great idea to try and shake me down for money I obviously wasn’t gonna give up?”
Limping Guy sighed, rubbing his busted up knee. “Look, we didn’t know you were…” He paused, looking Maluck up and down. “…whatever the hell you are.”
“A menace?” Chloe suggested.
“A problem?” Maluck offered.
“A walking headache?” Liquor Guy added.
Maluck grinned. “All of the above.”
Liquor Guy shook his head. “Anyway, Bigfoot—er, Tom—was convinced you were just some rich dude that Ron was having issues with. And we kinda have a ‘working relationship’ with him. And, well… let’s just say… we usually don’t have problems with rich dudes.”
Maluck chuckled. “Yeah, well, you found one.”
The limping guy—Limpy, because Maluck wasn’t in the mood for learning names—crossed his arms.
“Look, we’re not here to start anything again. Honestly, after what happened, nobody in our crew wants to go another round with you. We get it. You’re built different.”
Maluck smirked. “Damn right.”
Liquor Guy set the bottle on the table. “This is just… a peace offering. Consider it our way of saying we’re not coming after you anymore.”
Maluck eyed the bottle. Top-shelf rum.
Then he eyed the bikers. Still alive, no weapons, looking genuinely defeated.
A system task popped up.
[System Task:] True strength lies in knowing when to show mercy. Accepting their defeat with grace is the mark of a wise and honorable person. Temper your aggression, for restraint is just as powerful as action.
Bonus: +0.05 Wisdom
***
Maluck ignored the advice but looked at the huge .05 Wisdom reward and immediately hit YES with joy.
What Maluck didn’t know was that the Virtues had been watching.
They had seen Patience get absolutely schooled when Maluck turned down the Virtue’s task in favor of Wrath’s “fuck ‘em up” special.
And worse? They had seen Wrath give a bigger reward.
That was not acceptable.
If Maluck kept picking the Sins’ tasks, it wouldn’t be long before he was chugging whiskey with Greed, high-fiving Pride, and committing tax fraud with Envy.
The Virtues needed to act.
If his innate goodness wasn’t going to be enough to keep him on their side…
Well.
Bribery might do the trick.
“Fine,” he said, picking up the bottle and inspecting the label. “But if you guys ever come after me again, I’m keeping the next bottle AND breaking all of your knees.”
Broken Nose Guy winced. “Noded.”
Chloe, meanwhile, was still watching the exchange like it was the best show she’d seen all week.
“So… you just traumatized an entire biker gang into giving you booze and leaving you alone?”
Maluck popped the bottle open and poured himself a glass, then poured glasses for everyone in the room. The substantial bonus and the prospect of not having to watch out for random biker troubles were certainly reasons to celebrate.
“Yep.”
She whistled. “I knew you were a problem, but damn.”
“Alright, guys,” Maluck said, raising his glass. “Let’s drink a toast and celebrate the end of our… ‘misunderstandings.’”
Chloe smirked. “Ah yes, the classic ‘you tried to mug me, and I broke all your bones’ misunderstanding.”
Liquor Guy sighed, lifting his glass. “Yeah… big whoops on our part.”
Broken Nose Guy grumbled, “My face still hurts.”
Limp Guy muttered, “I misunderstand how I let myself get involved in this.”
Maluck clinked his glass against theirs. “Good, good. Keep misunderstanding things, and maybe I’ll get another free bottle out of it.”
They all drank. Because at this point, why the hell not?
“See, now I can finally relax,” he said, leaning back with a satisfied sigh. “Good food, good drinks, and no problems.”
BANG BANG BANG.
Another knock at the door.
Maluck groaned, rubbing his temples.
Chloe just laughed. “Oh, this is great. Who wants to ruin your night this time?”
Maluck stood up, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his knuckles.
“Guess we’re about to find out.”
